He has no special interest in science fiction, but the creator of a Swedish sci-fi drama that pits robots against humans has struck a nerve among viewers. “Real Humans,” by screenwriter-actor Lars Lundstroem, stars humanoids called “hubots,” a word mixing humans and robots. They ...

Exoskeletons helping the paralyzed to walk, tiny maggot-inspired devices gnawing at brain tumors, machines working tirelessly as hospital helpers: In many respects, the future of medicine is already here. Experts say that at the experimental level, human skills are already being enhanced or replaced ...

A wise-cracking humanoid robot called Pepper, whose makers claim it can read people’s emotions, was unveiled in Tokyo last month. Mobile carrier SoftBank, which created the robot, says Pepper can understand 70 to 80 percent of spontaneous conversations — although it also answers from ...